Doe Network

743UFDE - Unidentified Female

Identified...Identified...Identified

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Reconstructions of the decedent by NCMEC and Carl Koppelman; original renderings; ribbon tied in hair; laundry bag covering the body and location of the dump site. To view postmortem photographs, please click photo 1 and photo 2.

Date of Discovery: March 18, 1967
Location of Discovery: Bear, New Castle County, Delaware
Estimated Date of Death: Hours prior
State of Remains: Recognizable face
Cause of Death: Septicemia (blood poisoning/infection)

Physical Description

Estimated Age: 16-25 years old
Race: White. Possible Greek, Italian or Jewish ancestry.
Sex: Female
Height: 5'2"
Weight: 110 to 115 lbs.
Hair: Dark brown, long and curly, tied back with a 1/2" X 8" red ribbon.
Eye Color: Brown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Vaccination scar on front of the left thigh. No birth marks or surgical scars. Both ears pierced, although it didn't appear that she had worn earrings in quite a while. Approximately three months pregnant. Fair complexion. Blood type O. Petite. Estimated bra size 34DD.

Identifiers

Dentals: Available.
Fingerprints: Available.
DNA: Available.

Clothing & Personal Items

Clothing: Blue bikini style panties with manufacturers label removed.
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Blue "American Laundry" laundry bag traced to Trenton, New Jersey.

Circumstances of Discovery

The decedent's body was located off the shoulder of Porter Road, a rural area in Bear, New Castle County, Delaware. This location is just a few miles away from Interstate 95 and US Highway 40.

Her legs were stuffed inside of a large white cloth commerical laundry bag (24" X 36") which bore the markings "Bag O - Storage. American Laundry. Dry Cleaning. EX4 5277." The laundry bag was found to be from a laundry and dry cleaning company located in Trenton, New Jersey.

The family members of the owner of this company recalled seeing a young woman matching the female's description who was either a customer or a nearby resident.

Initially, it was believed that she had died as a result of a botched abortion. It is now known that she died from not receiving medical care for an infection.

Recent ancestry testing suggests she may be of European, Italian, Greek, or Jewish descent. DNA was compared with genealogy websites and revealed a maternal connection with relatives in Virginia and North Carolina, but no one contacted knows who she was.

She is buried in Potter's Field in Delaware. She is known as "Miss X."

Investigating Agency(s)

Agency Name: Delaware State Police Headquarters
Agency Contact Person: Det. Mark Ryde
Agency Phone Number: 302-739-5901
Agency E-Mail: Mark.ryde(at)delaware.gov
Agency Case Number: 02-67-000013

Agency Name: Delaware Division of Forensic Science
Agency Contact Person: Unknown
Agency Phone Number: 302-577-3420
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: 1967-N-0170

NCIC Case Number: U170027299
NamUs Case Number: 7097
NCMEC Case Number: 1184229

Information Source(s)

NamUs
NCMEC
NJ.com (4/10/13)
Wikipedia
The Washington Times News Archive (9/27/93)

Admin Notes

Added: 6/21/10; Last Updated: 08/2/22


Questions or comments? Please contact appropriate member of the Area Team

** Listed information may be estimated.

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